


A Touch of Cinnamon

by fairy_god_gremlin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke are Bros, Protective Sugawara Koushi, Team Mom Sugawara Koushi, Volleyball, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairy_god_gremlin/pseuds/fairy_god_gremlin
Summary: Saku Ayura left her perfect life: perfect friends, perfect family, perfect school; and all for her stupid older brother. Now she she has to start from scratch. No friends, her family is hardly around anymore, and she managed to make it into Karasuno. The school for less than perfect students. She might as well start by checking out some clubs. Basketball? No... Chess? Ew... Volleyball?A/N: This work is rated for teen audiences because of mild language and injuries. yee.
Relationships: Sugawara Koushi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

Saku Ayura pulled her thick red hair into a low ponytail, just enough to get it out of her face, and took one last look at her old room. The walls looked strange without the presence of her sketches, paintings, and shelves that used to house various trinkets that her friends had gifted her throughout her life on this small island, the only place she had ever known. Ayura had been to the mainland when she was a toddler to visit her grandmother, but those memories were lost over time.

Her family had been thinking about moving for a long time, but never seriously considered it. That is, until Ayura’s older brother, Juushin, decided to attend Shiratorizawa High School instead of the local high school. It took the Saku family two years to arrange the details of their move, while Juushin stayed with their grandmother and attended school, but this was the day their plans became a reality.

“Ayu! Get the last of your boxes out in the car or we’ll be late for the ferry!” Mrs. Saku called down to her daughter in the basement.

“Okay,” Ayura replied, picking up a box at her feet labeled ‘Books + Sketches’.

“The last box,” she thought, “After this box I’ll be gone from here…” For an unknown reason, just the sight of her empty room made tears appear in her eyes.

“Ayura! We’re going to be late!” her mother yelled once more.

“I know, I’m coming!” Ayura choked out, holding back the flood of tears she had so often met with. She trudged up the basement stairs and placed her box by the door to be hauled into the car.

~

“Ayu!” cried a curly brown haired girl running towards her friend.

Before she could turn around to greet her friends, Ayura was enveloped in the girl’s arms.

“I tried to stop Yano from attacking you,” a short girl with even shorter hair painted, jogging up behind the girl.

“That's okay Sakane.” Ayu replied, patting Yano’s head awkwardly.

“I’m gonna miss you!” Yano sobbed into Ayura’s sweater.

“I guess… I’ll miss you too.” mumbled Sakane.

Ayu smirked, “What was that?”

“I said I’m gonna miss you too!” Sakane grumped, “But don’t quote me on it. I know I’m going to regret that.”

“I’ll miss you guys too.” Ayu smiled. Yano pulled Sakane into their hug quite forcefully.

“Oh yeah!” Yano gasped letting go of her friends to dig in her bright pink satchel bag, “This is for you.”

Ayura took the small gift bag and began to open it, but was stopped when her family’s ferry was announced ready for boarding.

“Um- I gotta go, that’s our ferry.”

“But-” Yano began, about to start sobbing again.

“Just open it when you’re on the boat. You need to leave before Yano decides she wants to move in with you.” Sakane sighed, pushing Ayura towards the rest of her family.

“Wait, I could move in with you guys?!” Yano realized, suddenly happy again.

“Bye!” Ayu called, forcing a smile, as she ran backwards towards her family, “I’ll miss you!”

“Bye, Ayu!” Yano and Sakane replied, both pairs of eyes misted with the threat of tears. .

~

“Welcome to our new home!” Mr. Saku beamed, shoving open the door to a house bigger than their old suburban house, but small compared to the big city houses they had passed on their way. “So the door could use a bit of oiling, but other than that, what do you think?”

“It’s very nice Shouhei.” smiled Mrs. Saku, braving the first step into their house, “You did a wonderful job picking it out.”

“I’ll give you girls a tour and tell you where your rooms will be and then we can meet our neighbors. They already offered to have lunch with us!” Mr. Saku said with more excitement than was natural for a man who worked all day everyday most of the time, “When I went to check out the house for the first time, the Masakis were so kind that they convinced me this was a very nice neighborhood for you girls to grow up in.”

After Mr. Saku’s enlightening speech, he showed the girls to their rooms. They moved from the cramped entryway to the stairway directly in front of them. At the top of the steep stairs they were greeted with a landing which led to three different rooms and a small bathroom. Namika and Joushi, Ayu’s younger sisters, would share the biggest room, Juushin would be given the second biggest room so he would have enough space for his school work, and Ayura was given the smallest room.

“A whole room all to myself?” Ayu beamed, examining her new room. It was perfect. The ceiling slanted with the roof, so the little closet at the bottom was forced into an awkward small square. A big window on the left side of the door let in a healthy amount of sunlight. When Ayu rushed up to it, she saw a beautiful view of the street below and when the sun set, she would have a perfect view right over the other buildings. The walls were an ugly bright green, but that could be fixed.

~

After lunch with the neighbors, Ayura remembered the small package her friends had given her. She dug through her bags and boxes and finally found where the lavender gift was stashed. Ayu pulled a small rectangle from the bag, wrapped in white glittery tissue paper. She pulled away the paper to reveal a small yellow picture frame with an old photo of Yano, Sakane, and herself back when they were in kindergarten. Yano had her band-aid-covered arms wrapped around both their necks, holding them together. Sakane was biting Yano’s arm (she thought she was a vampire). Ayu was halfway through a smile, so it looked like she was smirking.

Ayu smiled at the awkward picture and leaned it against her bright green window sill.


	2. Detention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~The Saku family arrived during Ayura's first year of high school. I skipped a year of writing cuz im lazy and now this is her second year~

It was the first day of school and Saku Ayura was more nervous and self conscious than ever.

"Did the skirt get shorter than last year..." she muttered to herself as she tugged on the edge of her school uniform, attempting to cover the part of her thighs she didn’t shave.

"Ayu! You're going to be late!" Namika yelled up the stairs.

Saku took one last look in the full body mirror that leaned on the wall next to her desk. Her mid-back length brown-red hair was tied into a low ponytail at her neck, a stubborn lock of hair sticking up, making a lump on the top of her head. Her abundant chocolate freckles were blocked out by a layer of foundation. She pushed up her red and silver glasses and grabbed her shoulder bag before leaving for school.

~

"So when are you gonna start managing volleyball with me?" Masaki Ginka complained as they walked to school together. The two had met the previous year and became best friends, as if they had seen each other every day for years. Masaki's brown hair was tied up in a messy bun and her skin was still darkly tanned from the summer.

Saku laughed, "I said I would try it out, just give me time to decide. And you'll still have Kiyoko.

"But she isn't my best friend!" Masaki pouted, throwing her arms around Saku’s neck to add emphasis.

"I said I'll think about it!” Saku said, pushing Masaki off her shoulders. As the two friends rounded the corner that led to the intersection between the two parts of town, more students came into view.

"Masaki! Saku!" yelled Tanaka and Nishinoya as they spotted their targets, sprinting towards their second year friends.

Nishinoya skidded to a stop, knocking over Saku in the process, and Tanaka jogged to a stop in front of Masaki.

"Nice job, Noya," Masaki snickered as she slapped him in the back of his head.

As Saku scrambled to get up, she grabbed her bag, "You have a death wish or something?" she frowned, slinging her bag over her shoulder, trying to look as menacing as possible for an insecure school girl.

“Ugh, there go those prissy Shitty-torizawa kids.” Tanaka said awfully loud, turning up his nose at a group of nicely dressed students who had just passed their group. In response, the group of 3rd years rolled their eyes and kept walking.

“Ooh, what are ya, too rich for us?” Masaki badgered sticking her chin up to mock them. The group, minus Saku, joined her in the mockery, adding weird noises meant to mimic a swan, the rival school’s mascot.

“Oi, cut it out!” Saku reprimanded them, attempting to not make a scene.

“You defend the rich scum?” Tanaka questined, still laughing and talking loudly.

“Oh yeah, didn’t your parents get really mad when you didn’t get into Shitty-torizawa?” Nishinoya added, not meaning to offend his friend, but failing.

“Noya,” Saku hissed, “This isn’t the time.” Saku stormed off, dragging Masaki behind her, Tanaka and Nishinoya jogging behind them, still laughing.

~

The group of second years arrived late, as per usual. They scrambled to the office to grab their schedules before the beginning-of-year orientation began.

“Who’s in my homeroom!” Masaki squealed with excitement, throwing her arms around her friends, squishing them into each other uncomfortably.

Tanaka took a second to compare schedules before exclaiming, “Hey, we got the same homeroom, gurl!”, and sharing a high-five with his new homeroom buddy.

“Aw,” Nishinoya complained, snatching Saku’s schedule, “Me and Saku got different homerooms.”

Saku reached for her schedule but Noya flapped the paper around, keeping it just out of her grasp. “Give it!” Saku snapped.

“No!” Noya smiled, mocking Saku’s tone, “Not until you renounce your loyalty to that shit school and give your loyalty to the crows!” He flapped his arms around mimicking the Karasuno school mascot, Tanaka joining in.

“Come on guys we’re going to be late.” Saku huffed, “Masaki, back me up.”

“I’m sorry, Ayu. The Council of Bruh has spoken.” Masaki sighed putting her hands up in surrender, her schedule still pinned between her middle and forefinger.

“Well I guess we’re going to do this the hard way then.” Saku smirked, rolling up her sleeves.

"Ooh, you better run!" Tanaka laughed as he and Masaki took out their phones to film the epic fight scene that was about to go down.

Nishinoya made the mistake of sprinting away, because Saku ran after him, holding her bag in a ready position to hit its target.

Tanaka ran after them, recording the whole thing as Masaki jogged behind him, not trying to keep up with the insane pace of her friends.

~

As Saku sprinted through the crowded hallways, she lost Noya among the hustle and bustle of the many students trying to find their homeroom.

"Damn it, Noya, why are you so short..." she muttered as she stood on her toes in an attempt to see over everyone's heads.

"Yo, what's going on?" Tanaka exclaimed as he skidded to a stop behind Saku.

"I lost Noya," sighed Saku, standing on her toes to see over the crowd.

"Bruh! You lost Noya?"

"It's not my fault he's short!"

"Bros stop fighting," Masaki panted when she finally caught up to her friends, "I got you." She took a deep breath and yelled as loud as she could:

"SO I'M SITTING THERE!"

And a response came from deep in the crowd:

"BARBECUE SAUCE ON MY TITTIES! Oh shit,"

"He's over there," Masaki smiled smugly, jabbing a thumb in the direction of Noya’s voice.

"Thanks, bro." Saku smiled as she readjusted the bag in her hand and started in the direction of Noya's voice.

As she was running, she picked out voices in the crowd around her.

"What is she doing?"

"Doesn't she have any respect for anyone else? Pushing us out of the way like that..."

Her running slowed to a jog.

"Look, isn't that that weird second year?”

“She should put her hair up in a higher ponytail. That would make her look prettier."

“Hasn’t she ever heard of makeup?”

"Shut up, she might hear you!"

Saku slowed to a walk, forgetting about Noya.

"Was all that stuff really true?" she thought to herself as she fought back tears, "Don't cry, you big baby." She dug her stubby fingernails into her arm to stop the tears from coming.

"Hey, Saku," Nishinoya said in an unusually calm tone of voice, "Are you okay? You stopped running so I thought something was up. Did you twist your ankle or something?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied, flashing a fake smile.

"Are you sure-"

"NISHINOYA! SAKU!" a teacher yelled from behind them, "Principal's office! Now."

~  
"You both were acting foolish and unruly. And on the first day no less!" the vice principal lectured, "You could have injured someone, or worse, scuffed up the new tiles that were put in this summer!"

"He needs to sort out his priorities," whispered Noya out of the corner of his mouth, to which Saku giggled.

"And for punishment," the vice principal said a bit louder to drown out their giggles, "You both will be staying after school to scrub the floors with the janitor every day for the next two weeks."

"What?" Noya complained standing up, "But volleyball practice starts today!"

"I'll speak to the captain about your situation. It will be his decision whether to kick you or not,"

~  
"Ugh. Knowing Daichi, he'll literally kick me instead of kicking me off the team," Noya complained as the two friends walked angrily to their homerooms, “Like, in the balls.”

Saku laughed, "Well at least I won't have to manage you crackheads for another two weeks!"

"Wait, so you were actually gonna manage the volleyball team? I thought you were joking!" he said jumping with joy.

"I said I'll think about it," she replied sticking out her tongue, "We better get to our homerooms. Too bad we're in separate classes this year."

"Yeah too bad. Say hi to Masaki for me. I was too busy running from my certain doom to even talk to her much."

"Haha! Sorry not sorry." Saku laughed as she headed for her classroom through the empty hallway.

~  
"Hey, if it isn't Detention 1 and Detention 2!" Tanaka cackled as he and Masaki walked to meet Noya and Saku after volleyball practice.

"I'm dying, Tanaka," Saku droned sarcastically, "You’re so funny."

Masaki laughed. "You guys must be really tired."

"No shit Sherlock," Noya groaned, "We scrubbed all the hallways and half the classrooms."

"It took a while to get Noya's sneaker streaks out of the floor." complained Saku.

"Well, who's the one that chased me? Huh?" Noya snapped.

"And who's the one that stole my schedule this morning! I had to do laundry today on top of my homework and now this!”

"Aw, come on, it's a dirty old uniform. But these puppies are brand new!" he beamed gesturing to his shiny new sneakers, "And they light up. Perfect for my Rolling Thunder."

The friend group took in the sight of Noya's flashing, yellow sneakers.

"But ya know why I have to wait to show them off?" he ranted, "Cause you chased me down the hallway and got us both detention!"

"This is going to last a while, isn't it," Masaki sighed, turning to Tanaka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey y'all... sorry i didn't update sooner, but ya know. school. i wish they didn't but my grades matter ;P~


	3. New Recruit

The two weeks of unbearable (according to Nishinoya) detention were finally over and the two second years could go back to their normal schedules. For Noya, that meant volleyball every day for 2 hours and for Saku that meant walking home and doing homework until it was time to make dinner.

At the Saku household, things had changed dramatically since they moved. Mr. Saku's new job meant that he was almost never home and Mrs. Saku spent most of her time taking care of her grandmother after her grandmother refused to move into a nursing home, so Ayura and her 2 younger siblings were often left alone after school. Because of this, Ayu was left with many responsibilities on top of school, especially when her older brother, Juushin, visited. She was surprised he had gotten into a good college with the personality of a 10-year-old. Her parents had asked her repeatedly if she was okay with all the responsibility on her shoulders, but she always faked a smile and said she was fine. Little did she know, she would soon have more on her plate than she wanted.

~

"ROLLING THUNDER!!" scream Noya from inside the Karasuno school gym as he pulled off a killer receive.

"Can you please tell Nishinoya to shut up, Masaki?" mumbled Kiyoko from the sidelines of the volleyball court. She was talking to Masaki about the upcoming volleyball season.

"OI NISHI! KIYOKO WANTS YOU TO SHUT UP!!" Masaki shouted, turning her head to see the drill the team was working on. "Geez, he really has been happier since Asahi decided to play for another year."

Just then there came a strange noise at the doors.

Hinata shrieked, "It's the ghost of Karasuno High! He's real!"

"Boke Hinata, I told you that story as a joke," Kageyama laughed.

"Or was it just a joke?" Tsukishima loomed over both their heads, an aura of darkness surrounding him. Hinata jumped back, surprised by the towering boy’s comment.

"Can someone help me? I don't know how to open the gym door..." came a muffled voice.

Hinata jumped 5 feet in the air.

"Calm down everyone. It’s just Saku." muttered Daichi as he went to let the 'ghost' in.

"Daichi! Don't let the ghost in or he'll eat our souls." Hinata trembled and he pulled on Daichi's arm.

"I heard that," frowned Saku as she hauled open the door, finally figuring out how it worked. "You should really consider getting less confusing doors."

"Saku!" exclaimed Masaki, Noya, and Tanaka.

"You know the ghost?" stammered Hinata as he hid behind Daichi.

"Um..." mumbled Saku, fidgeting with her hands. She was uncomfortable with all the people staring at her. She attempted to sneak by everyone by looking down and speed walking towards Masaki.

"Oh yeah, you'll need an introduction to the team!" beamed Masaki, holding her friend’s arm so she couldn’t escape. "So the third years are Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi (no, he hasn't been held back), you know all the second years, and our first years are Salty, Mad, Orange, and Freckles. I don't know their names yet so you'll have to ask them."

"I'm Hinata," the orange haired boy gulped, still believing she was a ghost.

"I'm Yamaguchi and this is Tsukki- I mean Tsukishima," smiled a boy with freckles, and his tall friend with glasses nodded, acknowledging her presence.

"And that's Kageyama," smiled Hinata as he pointed to a black-haired boy, forgetting his fears.

"And, guys, this is Saku Ayura, she's my bestie." beamed Masaki, throwing her arm around Saku’s neck, “And she’s gonna be a manager!”

"I said I would think about it," mumbled Saku, "And I assume you're Kiyoko?" she continued pointing towards a beautiful girl with black hair and glasses.

Kiyoko nodded, "I guess Masaki tells you about me, huh?"

"Nope. I'm friends with Tanaka and Nishinoya."

"Ah." They nodded to each other in unspoken agreement.

~

As practice went on, Kiyoko talked Saku through the basics of being a manager: assisting the coach, practices, travel… All of Kiyoko’s words blurred together in Saku’s mind.

"If you have any questions, you can ask Masaki or the coach, although we don’t have one currently." muttered Kiyoko when she had finished, "Oh, and one more thing, I would really appreciate it if you took over for me. I wasn't going to tell anyone yet, but I'm quitting so I can focus on my studies this last year."

"Oh," Saku was caught off guard. She had been thinking of turning the position down because her pile of responsibility was already too high, but her big heart won the battle this time, "Sure, my parents would be more than happy to receive the news that I'm joining a club after school!" She forced a smile.

~

As Ayu stressed over homework and the rash decisions she made, her mother knocked on the bedroom door, making her jump.

"Maybe this is how Hinata felt when I knocked on the gym door," Ayu thought as she got up to open the door.

"Hey, Ayu. Great Grandma says 'hello' and I say 'why are you still awake at 9:30'?" Mrs. Saku giggled at her own joke.

Ayura forced a smile to hide her stress, “I'm doing homework."

"This late? Usually you're finished by 7..." she put a hand on her daughter's forehead.

"I'm not sick mom,” she said, waving her mother’s hand away, “I was at volleyball practice with Masaki."

"You play volleyball now? That's great!” Her mother’s look of concern turned to delight. “Maybe if I convince grandma to stay in a nursing home I can get my foot in the door to coach!"

"No mom, I’m managing the boy's team with her... I was going to talk to you about it-"

"With all those sweaty pubescent boys? If you feel overwhelmed you don't have to join, you know."

Ayu smiled, for real this time. "I know but I want to do this. It would be a great break from my responsibilities!"

"Okay if you insist.” Mrs. Saku smiled, concern spreading across her face. “Namika is old enough to cook dinner when she needs to." she kissed her daughter's forehead, "Just make sure you get enough sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Ey yo peeps! I'm gonna try and post more often now... lets see how long that lasts


	4. Coach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: verbal abuse :0

Note: Just so y'all are aware the coach featured in this chapter is not Coach Ukai. Don’t worry, I’m not that cold hearted. 

~

Saku looked in her full-body mirror before she left for school. It had been a while since she tried to put her thick hair up. She grabbed a pink hair band and attempted to push her hair into a higher ponytail than normal, but her stubborn hair rebelled.

"Come on..." she muttered to herself, but the hair band snapped when she tried to tie it up, "Argh! My hair's staying down today, I guess."

~

"What's up with your hair today? It's real static-y." asked Masaki as the four friends walked to school.

"What? Oh no, the humidity is making my hair all frizzy!" Saku pouted and she attempted to hold her hair down.

"Haha! I'm gonna call you Frizzy for the rest of the day!" Tanaka joked, poking Saku’s hair through her fingers.

"You better not," Saku threatened, "or you'll mysteriously disappear from existence."

Tanaka laughed, "Okay Miss Frizzle."

"Or should we call you 'The Frizz'?" Noya added.

"Very funny guys, but at least Masaki is on my side." Saku frowned.

"Yeah, I'll always have you back Frizz," smiled Masaki in reply.

Saku speed walked the rest of the way to the school, her friends trailing behind her.

"Wait! I didn't really mean it!" Masaki panicked, but Saku flipped her off in response, "Okay, this means war!"

~

For the rest of the day (when the teachers let her), Saku wore a pink baseball cap over her frizzy hair, much to the other girls’ dislike. By the end of the day, Saku was feeling more insecure than usual and her friends weren't helping. They weren't the type to comfort her when she was feeling bad about herself. Masaki complemented her sometimes, but never Noya and Tanaka because they were always gawking about other, prettier girls.

~

Before practice started for the boy's volleyball team, Saku was in the gym with Kiyoko, Sugawara, and Daichi (the unusually early squad).

"So, this morning," Saku explained to Kiyoko, "Tanaka, Noya, and Masaki called me 'Miss Frizzle because the humidity makes my hair frizzy."

"Well, they aren't wrong..." Daichi muttered, pretending not to hear their conversation.

"I heard that." Saku continued, "Anyway, I promised them I would erase them from the world."

"That's a bit intense," Sugawara commented. The private conversation had opened into the group.

"Yeah, but here's where you come in. We're gonna pretend they don't exist, but just for today's practice, okay?"

"Okay, just don’t let it interrupt practice," Daichi worried.

"If it gets Tanaka and Noya off my back for at least one practice, I'm in." Kiyoko whispered.

"Great! I’ll tell Asahi," Saku smiled as she saw her next victim enter the gym.

After she was out of earshot, Suga pulled Daichi aside.

"I'm worried about Saku." Suga hissed, “She seems so insecure all the time.”

"Suga, it's fine. She looks perfectly happy, you're worried over nothing. If you're sure she needs help you can talk to her after practice, but right now we have a practice to conduct, remember? Today is the day the new coach is coming." Daichi walked away to greet the new coach, leaving Suga swimming in his own thoughts.

~

The practice game was chaos. No one acknowledged Tanaka or Noya, except for Kageyama, who almost set to Tanaka, but redirected to Hinata at the last second, which made the fact they were ignoring   
them 1000% more hilarious. When Noya did one of his miraculous receives, everyone took it to the next level and gasped as if a ghost had received the ball.

What's going on guys? I'm right here!" Noya panicked after he received a ball, "Wait, it's like one of those movies where I'm invisible..."

Asahi couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the floor laughing. Others started to join him as Tanaka and Nishinoya looked around confused.

"I can't believe you guys didn't know they were ghosting us until now!" Masaki laughed, she had found out as soon as Saku refused to even look at her (Saku was bad at keeping secrets).

"What is the meaning of this!" yelled an angry coach above the laughter. Everyone stopped.

"Line up on the baseline. All of you!" The players hustled over to the base line closest to the coach.

"You too, girls. Anyone could be responsible for this!" Kiyoko led the girls over to the rest of the team.

"As long as you're in this gym, you obey my rules, and the first rule is no more nonsense! You aren't here to have fun and laugh, you're here to win. Whoever pulled that gag obviously doesn't want to be here so they will be kicked off the team!"

"Excuse me, sir, but isn't that-" Daichi started.

"Did I talk to you, boy? I think not. Now, if anyone knows who pulled this I would like to know."

The team remained silent.

"Um..." whispered Saku, but it sounded much louder in the silent gym.

"Yes, girl? And don't wear that cap inside, are you trying to be disrespectful?"

Saku slowly removed her baseball cap to reveal her unmaintainable hair, "I'm sorry, it was me."

"Was anyone helping you?"

"Um,” Saku looked at the rest of the team, turning her baseball cap around and around in her hands. “No."

“Can you tell me why you felt like you needed to do that?” the coach asked at an unnecessary volume.

"Sorry," mumbled Saku.

"You're robbing us from precious time that we could have spent training! You're not here to flirt, young woman, you're here to work!”

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Sorry… sorry… sorry…” she mumbled over and over again.

“Hey-” Masaki started, but the coach put up his hand to stop her without moving his angry eyes from Saku.

“Go get your stuff and leave. I don’t want to see you here anymore.” the coach said to the top of Saku’s head.

“Excuse me?” Masaki snapped, clearly pissed, “You can’t just waltz in here and-”

“Then you can leave, too.” the coach yelled back. “Any of you who share this young lady’s point of view can pack up and leave right now.”

"If this is the way our coach treats people, I quit!" It was Sugawara.

The coach stood in disbelief.

"I quit too." Daichi frowned, stepping next to Suga.

"Me too." Asahi said confidently.

"Us too!" Tanaka and Noya said in sync.

The rest of the first years joined the group, too shy to say anything.

"Come guys, let's leave." Daichi instructed as he led the mob of boys to their bags, Hianta sticking his tongue out at the coach as they passed.

The coach was still dumbfounded and said nothing as the entire team left him alone in the gym. They all stood outside, proud of their actions until Hinata broke the mood:

"So, what happens next?"

"I honestly didn't think through to this part, I thought the coach would quit." Suga remarked.

Masaki complained, "This isn't going to end well."

~

A few minutes later, Takeda Ittetsu received a knock on the office door. He was the only one in the vast sea of cubicles.

"I hope this isn't the new coach here to complain about the team..." he wondered as he got up to get the door, "I finally got someone who was willing to take the job."

But when he opened the door, he found Daichi with the rest of the team pressing at his back.

"What's going- you know what? Just come inside. I have some lollipops on my desk."

After Daichi had explained the entire situation (and Hinata had stolen all the orange lollipops because Nishinoya convinced him he was their king and he wanted 'freedom for his people'), Takeda decided he would be looking for a new volleyball coach.

"Bye guys! Feel free to stop by anytime so you can replenish my lollipop supply." Takeda smiled, but his tone was threatening.

"Uh, thank you?" Daichi replied as the door was slammed in their faces, "Okay team, let's go home, that talk lasted longer than I expected." He glanced at the setting sun.

And with that, the team went their separate ways.

~

Masaki and Saku waved goodbye at their usual splitting point, but as soon as they turned around, Masaki flashed a mischievous smile at Saku. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Um, no. Is there something you want me to admit to?” Saku replied, her exhaustion seeping through the seams of her laugh.

Masaki winked at her friend, “You know what I’m talking about.”

“No I honestly don't,” Saku sighed, pretending to be annoyed, “We may share the same brain cells, but that doesn't mean I know what you’re thinking about.”

Masaki raised her eyebrows.

“Fine…” Saku admitted, slouching in defeat.

“I knew it!,” Maskai exclaimed, dancing around on the sidewalk, “I knew it, beeach!”

“SHUT UP!” yelled a very annoyed civilian from their house. They had fallen prey to Masaki’s chanting.

“SORRY!” Masaki called back. “I knew he was your type.” she beamed turning back to Saku.

“Is that the real reason you wanted me to manage the team?” Saku realized.

“Maybe…” Masaki replied smugly, drunk with delight and sleep deprivation.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~So I impulsively wrote two chapters in one night..... woops.


	5. Notes

Saku was an absolute mess. She had stayed up extra late the previous night to finish her homework. Because of this she slept in an extra half hour and was only able to run a comb through her hair and slap on some makeup before biking to school.

"Hey, why didn't you walk to school with us today?" Masaki pouted as she ran up to her friend's locker, but Saku slammed her head into the locker in response. A note floated out of her locker and landed on her head, and following it, a mini chocolate bar, which slid off her head and fell on the floor.

"You gonna eat that or..."

"It's chocolate and it's mine. No touch." muttered Saku picking up the note and chocolate.

"What does it say!" Masaki bubbled, leaning over Saku’s shoulder to see.

"Hold on, I don't read as fast as you do, genius."

"Is it a love letter?" Masaki whispered to her friend.

"No," frowned Saku, "It's a self love letter." She showed the letter to Masaki.

"Visualize your highest self and show up as her..." Masaki read aloud, "I think I've seen that quote in my mom's office."

Saku laughed as she put the chocolate in her locker and taped the note to the inside of the door.

~

As the boys walked to the club room together, Suga ran ahead.

"Hey, what's the hurry," Daichi questioned.

"It’s my turn to set up the nets." Suga called back.

"Understandable," Asahi sighed with relief that it wasn’t his turn, “Isn’t Kageyama supposed to be helping you?”

Daichi turned around to spot Kageyama in the mob following him. “Get over there or I’ll give your meat bun to Hinata.”

“You’re getting us meat buns?” Hinata beamed, almost jumping over Nishinoya’s head.

"Not if we don’t have a good practice.” Daichi replied, glaring at Kageyama.

The group of high schoolers pushed Kageyama to the front of the group and would have pushed him all the way to the club room door if he hadn’t started running.

~

Sugawara arrived at the gym door first and found the door slightly open.

"I swear, if those idiots forgot to lock the door again…” he said to himself, but when he approached the door he heard the familiar noise of a volleyball hitting the floor. “Did Kageyama get here before me?” he thought.

“Damn it!” came a voice from inside, and after it the sound of the ball hitting the floor again.

“Hello?” Suga said, prying the door open a bit more so he could see the rest of the gym.

Saku screamed a bit at the sound of Suga’s voice.

“Oh it’s just you,” Suga said relieved, his shoulders relaxing, “I thought someone might have broken in.”

“Oh, sorry.” mumbled Saku, her thick hair up in a higher ponytail than usual and blue sneakers on her feet instead of her school shoes.

“Trying to learn some moves?” Suga smiled, noticing the volleyball on the floor.

“Oh, no. I was set- trying to set.” Saku managed to say. Her heart was beating fast, messing up her attempt to speak, “I was watching some videos last night, but they aren’t always accurate, ya know?”

“So what did you learn from the videos?” Sugawara questioned as he pulled a bundled up wad of net from a storage closet.

“Um, the proper way to put your hands, and you only hit with your finger tips.” Saku blurted, not wanting to drag out the already awkward conversation.

“Sounds like you learned a lot!” Sugawara smiled and handed her one end of the net he was carrying, “Can you help me put up the net? Kageyama was supposed to help me but he isn’t here yet.”

Saku took the net, “Yeah, sure.”

~

“That’s enough for today, team!” Daichi shouted across the gym, making everyone stop in the middle of the drill, “Pack up quickly so we don’t have to be here longer than we need to.” He shot a look at Hinata and Kageyama.

Kiyoko and Saku were the first ones out of the gym, although Saku loitered outside, waiting for the rest of her friends. Suga was the next to exit the gym, but he started towards Saku.

“Please don’t talk to me, please don’t talk to me…” Saku worried to herself, fearing social interaction.

“Hey, Saku, right?” Sugawara called.

“Oh no.” Saku muttered soft enough so only she could hear.

“I was just curious,” Suga started, stopping in front of Saku, “Why were you learning to set?”

“Oh,” Saku sighed, glad to know she wasn’t in trouble, “I was- I noticed that Hinata was bothering you and Kageyama, and he always wanted you to set to him. So I thought I’d learn so he doesn’t have to bother you guys anymore.”

Suga’s laugh didn’t make her feel like she was being stupid like other laughs, it was a soft, fluttery laugh that made her want to laugh, too. “Masaki warned us that you were too nice. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.”

“Warned you?”

“She told us that you put the needs of others in front of your own.” A worried expression fell on Suga’s face.

Saku sighed, “Do I dare to ask what else she told you about me?”

“Nothing bad-” but he was cut off by the arrival of Masaki, Nishinoya, and Tananka.

“Hey, what are you guys talking about, huh?” Masaki questioned in a protective tone, running to stand between the two of them.

Suga threw up his hands, claiming innocence. “Masa, come on, you know me, I wouldn’t do anything to harm anyone.”

“Yeah, sure.” frowned Masaki, “And don’t call me Masa.” She grabbed Saku’s arm and dragged her off.

“Hey, what’s so wrong with talking to Sugawara?” Saku asked her best friend once Suga was out of earshot, “He seems pretty nice to me.”

“He seems nice.” Masaki grumbled, “but he uses his ‘teacher’s pet’ attitude to get away with anything and everything.”

“Oh, so he’s like a gremlin?” Saku concluded, thinking of the popular 1980s movie.

Tanaka and Nishinoya laughed, “Geez, Masaki. You still sour after that prank he pulled on you last year?”

Masaki shuddered at the thought of the prank. “I couldn't get the glitter out of my hair for weeks…”

~


	6. The Plan

Saku Ayura’s plan was perfect. Today was Wednesday, which meant Hinata had to go straight home and babysit his sister, so he and Kageyama couldn’t stay late and practice. The gym was free. Saku realized how creepy that sounded… Was she a stalker? But there was no use in thinking about this now. She had a plan to carry out.

“Hey, Saku!” Tanaka shouted, breaking through Saku’s wall of thought. “Where was Masaki today?”

As per usual, all Saku was good for was telling everyone where Masaki was. “She was sick. Girl stuff. You wouldn’t know.” Saku replied. She kept her sentences short to hide the anxiety behind her words.

“Oh, okay.” Tanaka started to walk away. Saku though he almost sounded… disappointed.

Dachi called practice to a close. Saku gathered her things: sketchbook, pencil case, and The Grimm Brothers Complete Works. She shoved them into her bag along with all the other carelessly placed items. Then the metallic shine from a set of keys caught her eye.

“Almost forgot the most important part,” she mumbled to herself. Her hands shook a bit as she reached for them, a fluttery nauseous feeling rising in her chest.

As Saku began to leave, she made sure she was walking the slowest she possibly could on her shaking legs in order to make sure she was the last one.

“Saku?”

Daichi’s voice made her jump. “Yeah?”

“You have the keys?”

“Um, the keys? Ye- Yeah,” Saku subconsciously held the keys tighter, the hard, metal groves digging into her hand. “Do you need them? For anything?”

“No, I was just making sure you were locking up tonight.”

A big weight lifted from Saku’s chest, but apparently not enough. The nauseous feeling was still there.

“Don’t let Kageyama and Hinata back in, okay?” Daichi said as he walked away.

Saku followed him out, but was now regretting that he didn’t take the keys from her, even though it wasn’t her decision to make. Her plan sounded so stupid now, why did she ever want to do this in the first place? Just to be nice to people she barely knew? Even though it was nice, it felt like she was about to commit a crime.

She had exited the gym. It wasn’t to change her mind. Lock the gym, run and catch up with Tanaka and Nishinoya… She looked back at Tanaka and Nishinoya. They were already halfway to their bikes. They hadn’t bothered to wait for her. Without Masaki to hold them together, they were just acquaintances. Classmates. Strangers.

Her hand shook which made the keys jingle. Her left hand grabbed the other keys in the ring out of instinct. She couldn’t have attention drawn to her after she had gotten this far. She turned around again to see that the boys had gone. Why would they have stayed? She wasn’t anything special.

Saku shoved the door back open again. The lights flickered on. She saw her breath turn to a little puff of white smoke. Ghosts?

“No.” Saku said to herself, realizing she was alone. She didn’t have to keep quiet anymore. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. It’s just a cold night.”

Saku grabbed a volleyball out of the storage closet, but her shaking hands knocked two others onto the floor. She scrambled to pick up the balls before anyone noticed she was there. Wait… but she was alone. She smiled a bit and walked back into the gym, this time with a bounce in her step. 

Saku set down her volleyball on the floor and made sure it wouldn’t roll away before going to her bag. She searched through her stuff until she found a bluetooth speaker that had been painted with a flurry of blues, blacks, and purples to create a galaxy design. Saku pulled out her phone and put her favorite playlist on shuffle. The song that started playing was Song 2 by Blur. Perfect.

Saku picked up the volleyball and began to set. Practicing over and over until it was perfect in her eyes. Her playlist continued: Don’t Stop Me Now, Good Vibrations, Take Me On… Another Brick in the Wall… Mamma Mia… and kept going until it had been almost an hour. At this point, Saku was frustrated. Why couldn’t she do this right? Everyone else could… Maybe she was defective or something. Saku knew that wasn’t true, but it sure felt like it. 

“Okay…” Saku sighed, letting out a breath of cool air. Her hands shook from fatigue. “You can do this…”

She threw up the ball, but when it came down her hands slapped it carelessly into the air. The ball fell to the ground two feet behind her. Saku felt her teeth clench and her muscles become tense. She angrily stabbed at the pause button on her phone screen as All Star attempted to keep playing. Once the music stopped she shoved her phone back into the deep pockets of her sweat pants and chased down her runaway volleyball. This time as she held it she didn’t have the patience to calm herself.

The ball sailed through the air and began to come down again, but her toss was dramatically off. She leaned forward to catch the ball before it touched the ground, but she tripped on her own foot and fell to the ground. She attempted to pull herself up but her arms were weak and sore from practicing. Instead, she laid on the floor.

This was a bad idea. Coming to school today was a bad idea. Waking up today was a bad idea.

“Dramatic bitch.” Saku mumbled into the floor, catching herself in a crazy train of thought. She needed to get up and walk home before her parents started to worry about her. Saku pulled all of her remaining strength together and pushed herself into a sitting position.

Saku’s phone buzzed. She almost didn’t want to look. Her parents would be so mad if they knew she neglected watching her sisters just to play stupid volleyball. And by herself, no less. Saku pulled her phone out of her pocket, but there was only one notification from her sister. She opened the message. It wasn’t about her, it was about dinner. 

“What should I heat up for dinner?” read the text. A feeling like fire rose in Saku’s chest.

“just make some mac and cheese” Saku wrote back. She tossed her phone on the floor and flopped back onto the floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but the angry feeling was still there. She rolled onto her side and curled her legs into a ball.

“Maybe I should just sleep here for the night…” Saku though, “It’s not like anyone would care. And besides, it’s a fair punishment for what I’ve done tonight…”

She sat in silence for a while. Alone with her thoughts. Alone in the gym.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, the gym door opened. Saku shot up and grabbed the keys in her pocket. She held them out in a defensive position, her hand shaking like an earthquake.

A man walked into the gym wearing all black, a hood covering his head and a shadow covering his face. 

Saku’s thoughts swarmed with ideas: What would happen next? What would she do? would he kidnap her? Would anyone find her? But as she began to drown in her fear, one thought became clear.

This is it. This is how I die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dudes, I have not posted anything in a hot minute... I had writers block sooooo bad... oops. well, hope you enjoyed this. next chapter coming soon. I promise <3


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